What is Zen? I don't know the complete answer. So I cannot tell
you what Zen is. But we can listen the Zen Talks; you might know something about
Zen from there.

You need to drink, then you know how to describe how it tastes
in your language.

Ocean Fish

"I heard others talk about ocean all the time. What's the ocean?" A baby fish in
the ocean asked grandpa fish.
"Your surrounding is the ocean," grandpa said.
"How come I cannot see the ocean?" baby fish questioned.
"Ocean is inside you and outside you as well. You were born in the ocean and
will die back in the ocean eventually. Ocean surrounds you is just like your
body surrounds yourself," grandpa continued.
"... ???" baby fish.

~ You are in the Zen, you need to find Zen by yourself.

Lady Crossing
River

An old monk and young monk saw a gorgeous lady in rich attire wondered how to
cross the river on the road. The old monk asked lady's permission to carry her
to cross the river. Two monks continued their journey for hours.

"We are monk, we shouldn't close to the girl. Why did you do that?" the young
monk raised the question.
"Oh! that's girl. I has put her down hours ago, Why are you still holding her?"
the old monk replied.

~ In order to keep our mind cool, focusing and clear, then we need to give up the previous
passion.

Go to the Hell

"Where will you a hundred year later?" One guy asked the master monk that.
"I will become an animal, then go to the hell," the master said.
"You are a good man. No way you will go to the hell," the man smiled.
"If I don't go to the hell, then no one can save you in the hell," the monk
replied.

~ Zen is everywhere.

Zen is Nothing

"You have been studying Zen in the most of your past life. What can you get from
there?" A guy asked Zen Mater.
"Nothing!" Zen Master smiled.

~ If you want to get something from Zen, then you cannot get anything. If you
ask nothing from Zen, then you know something about it.

Zen is Empty

"I have one thing. It has no beginning and no ending. It has no name and no
description. It also has no front and no back. Do you know what it is?" Zen
Mater asked students.

"That's Dao. that's Zen!" someone answered.
"I had told you that it has no name. Why you want to call it as Zen or Dao?" the
Master said.

~ Zen has no name and no description.

Red Bamboo

One Chinese calligrapher using writing brush painted a bamboo landscape. He
colored bamboo in red.

"Bamboo should always be painted in black." one guy gave a comment.
"Have you ever seen a black bamboo?' the painter replied.

~ We are taught the true and false from people. But we never think that's right
or wrong.

All the Same

Four Zen Students in a 7-day meditation class. They shouldn't have conversion during the
meditation period. At the first night, one student sensed the ground movement.

"Earthquake!" that student reacted quickly.
"We shouldn't say a word," another student said.
"Why do both of you want to talk?" the third student commented.
"Only I didn't say anything," the last student smiled and said.

~ It's hard to see ourselves. Therefore, It's easier to see people's error.

Buddha at Home

One guy said goodbye to his parents and look for Buddha for years. One day, he
met a Zen master. And the master told him that you can find one on the way home.
The person wears wrong foot shoes is the Buddha. When he got home, his old
mother heard his voice, happily rushed to open the door with wrong foot shoes.
He suddenly enlightened.

~ Many look for the answer outside, but many answers are inside us.

Moon and Finger

One student brought a bible to ask the Zen Master.

"I has been study this bible for years, but I still don't understand this
paragraph. Would you explain it to me?" Student asked.
'I didn't take education, I can't recognize the characters. Please read that to
me," Zen master said.
"You even don't know the characters, how do you know the true?" the student
wondered.
"The true and characters are no connection. True is like the moon on the sky.
Characters are like my finger. If the finger points to the moon, then it helps
people to find the moon. But I know where the moon (true) is. I don't need
finger to tell me where the moon (true) is," the master answered.

~ The way to enlightenment is not from books.

Dumb and Parrot

"What is the person who feel something during the meditation and
cannot say it?" a student asked.
"'A dumb tastes honey," the Master answered.

"What is the person who can't feel anything during the meditation and talk lots
of about the meditation?" the student asked again.
"Parrot talks." the Master replied.